The tools and flavors have changed, but the work of roasting and grinding fermented cacao beans, and mixing them with a few simple ingredients to create a divine food, is a practice that goes back to early Mesoamerican civilizations.

As autonomous vehicles become a real choice for our neighborhoods, transit hubs, entertainment districts, and downtown cores, there is an opportunity for them to bring environmental benefits. But realizing those benefits will require us to take a hard look at how personal cars—even the driverless kind—fit into urban life.

Climate Confidential, an environmental reporting project I launched recently with a “supergroup” of independent journalists, is hosting its first live event on Wednesday, April 30 in San Francisco. I hope to see you there!

California’s record drought has parched crops, but hasn’t yet dimmed lights or choked the flow of electricity, even though the Golden State, with more than 300 dams, has long been a hydroelectricity leader among U.S. states.

I’m launching a new reporting project with five of my favorite independent journalists. Each week, we’ll publish a new story focused on the intersection of environment and technology—but we need at least 800 subscribers before March 5 to bring this to life.